Folio
Commercial, Interior Design, Furniture
B2B, SaaS
Funding:
Seed
Folio offers a comprehensive platform for managing commercial furniture projects, simplifying the process from start to finish by digitizing project creation, offering instant budget estimates, and centralizing communications and collaboration. It aims to save time and enhance project engagement through standardized digital workflows, AI-generated lookbooks, and industry-specific task lists
Lead Product Consultant
As the strategic lead for the product, I guided a team comprising a product manager, three designers, a project manager, and ten engineers. Additionally, I served as the primary daily liaison with the client. My responsibilities included overseeing the product's overall strategy, business plan, expectations, roadmap, and ensuring alignment with client goals.
Deanne was our product management lead and played a pivotal role in the launch of our MVP. She demonstrated exceptional expertise in product management and a keen understanding of our customer's needs, while still understanding and integrating our product and company's high level objectives and goals.
Her proactive approach in feature suggestion, particularly one that became a standout in our product, was a game-changer for us that we didn't know we needed. Deanne's background in UI/UX design and Agile project management was so valuable in her driving her team on our project. She not only met but exceeded our expectations, fostering a trusted and valuable relationship.
Emily Gupton, COO
The Project
This 0-1 project involved collaborating with a startup pioneering in their industry. Initially tasked with developing a management tool for commercial interior design, the original ask was to include features such as moodboards and questionnaires, aiming to streamline processes for other firms. The ultimate goal was to create a multi-tenancy SaaS product.
Target Audience
The target audience comprised owners of commercial interior design studios, with users distributed across eight distinct personas reflecting various roles within the workflow.
Competitors
The competitors in this space for the original direction were all major players with greater financial resources, necessitating a complete reevaluation of the strategy.
User Insights
Project managers faced difficulties in accessing comprehensive information, while other team members encountered challenges in accessing available information. Designers spent excessive time navigating pricing issues. None of these insights aligned with the initial client request for problem-solving strategies.
The Problem
Scaling in the commercial interior design space faced significant challenges during COVID, as remote work became more prevalent and the demand for commercial spaces decreased. It became crucial to reduce costs to ensure profitability on available projects.
The Solution
Upon examining how our clients scaled their interior design companies and what set them apart, we identified their process as the key differentiator. Our suggestion was a major pivot towards creating a lookbook and design selection system that significantly reduced resources and could generate revenue. We productized their process and introduced an easy-to-use low-mid-high price calculator, enabling them to gain traction immediately, unlike the free offerings from many furniture companies.
